China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Has Been Initiated

Written by Li Bo / Translated by Mo Tingting

China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Has Been Initiated

Written by Li Bo / Translated by Mo Tingting

TPP， TIPP and RCEP are trying to break the deadlock of Doha round negotiations before the volatility of global trade， at a time when China-ASEAN cooperation is at a critical period where the bilateral economic cooperation booms while the comprehensive cooperation between ASEAN and China faces challenges.

It is also an important stage that is in need of a symbolic project to inject new vigor and vitality into the Belt and Road Initiative and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Therefore， with ten years of unremitting efforts， the achievements registered once again by Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation （PBGEC） have emerged at the historic moment -- on May 26， 2016， the 1st China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network Work Conference set up Chinese Secretariat and a batch of base projects，and Methods and Vision and Actions of the China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network were discussed.

This Work Conference held in Guangxi of China where the “Golden Decade” of China-ASEAN cooperation was heralded， has marked the official presence of the first specialized organization and the first cooperation project for Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation.

The forerunner of PBGEC

Under the proposal of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang，the Declaration on China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network Forum was jointly adopted by mayors of port cities from China and ASEAN countries and other parties concerned at the 10th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on September 3， 2013. China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network （hereinafter referred to as the Cooperation Network） was formally set up， marking the birth of a leading organization of PBGEC.

With the grand and clear ambition， the Cooperation Network is committed to carrying out the consensus of “Constructing Maritime Connectivity Network”and “Developing Maritime Pragmatic Cooperation”reached by leaders of China and ASEAN， pushing ahead with in-depth cooperation on mutual navigation， port construction， port industry， sister cities， maritime exchanges and cultural tourism，etc.， driving the construction of the wide-ranging cooperation circles of shipping ＆ logistics， ports，industrial parks， tourism， accessible cooperation and friendly cities， and taking the lead in making breakthroughs on port ＆ port cities cooperation under the framework of China-ASEAN cooperation.

According to the consensus reached on the Forum，all parties concerned have proactively boosted in the construction of the Cooperation Network for the past two years: Chinese government has spared no effort in advancing the construction of Guangxi Beibu Gulf's projects； China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund has sponsored 60 million yuan；the government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has supported 30 million yuan； and the local enterprises has contributed 70 million yuan to support seven projects centered on navigation opening， shipping supporting services， China-ASEAN Port Logistics Information Center， and cooperation mechanism.

With concerted efforts of the two sides， 10 new shipping routes have been opened， the construction of China-ASEAN Port Logistics Information Center completed， the cooperation mechanism successively built， and other projects serving for Pan-Beibu Gulf Region， like maritime search and rescue sub-center，maritime meteorological monitoring and alert center，shipping training and maritime arbitration， launched. And media reporters from China， ASEAN and other countries witnessed the official launches of these projects on May 27， 2016.

Fangchenggang Port's dock

The Work Conference has initiated China-ASEAN maritime cooperation

Along with the construction of the first batch of projects and more sophisticated researches in the past two years， China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network has initiated its agenda and overall operation with a well-thought-out plan: the 1st China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network Work Conference was held in Nanning， Guangxi on May 26， 2016.

Participants included high-level officials，representatives from port cities， port operators and international leading shipping enterprises of China and ASEAN countries. At the conference， Methods for China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network and Vision and Actions on China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network were fully discussed. In addition， a batch of port management departments and operating enterprises agreed on these two documents and became full members of China-ASEAN Port Cities Cooperation Network.

With positive responses from representatives present at the conference， the Cooperation Network will reduce the logistics costs between China and ASEAN， enhance economic effectiveness， strengthen regional competiveness and boost China-ASEAN comprehensive in-depth cooperation.

Furthermore， the Chinese Secretariat of the Cooperation Network was established in China，marking the official presence of the international organization. And the contents of cooperation have also expanded from navigation opening to other fi elds. Therefore， the Cooperation Network has served as a bridge between ASEAN and China in maritime cooperation， standing on the Pan-Beibu Gulf.